Mass animal sacrifice festival in Gadhimai temple, Nepal

Over 5,000 buffaloes have been slaughtered in a mass animal sacrifice festival in Nepal, believed to be the world’s largest such ritual.

Published: November 30, 2014 11:17:34 am

11 Shares

Butchers with butcher knives participate in religious rituals before slaughtering buffalos during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in in the jungles of Bara district about 160 miles (100 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP)

A herd of buffaloes stand before they are slaughtered during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 160 miles (100 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP)

A butcher with a butcher knife stand to participate in a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 160 miles (100 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP)

A young sacrificial buffalo is led into a field during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 160 miles (100 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP)

In this photo, a buffalo is brought to be the first sacrifice during the Gadhimai Festival in Bara, Nepal. (Source: AP)

Every five years, the world’s largest animal sacrifice takes place at the Gadhimai Temple in Nepal. The month-long festival has raised controversy due to the large number of animals killed – up to 500,000 over two days. (Source: AP)

Butchers with butcher knives participate in religious rituals before slaughtering buffalos during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 160 miles (100 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal. (Source: AP)